The Heartbreak Kid

Today's film is considered a classic, but it seems that a lot of people only know of the 2007 Ben Stiller remake. I myself only saw it for the first time the other night. So today, I'm looking back at 1972's The Heartbreak Kid.

Charles Grodin stars as Lenny Cantrow, an obnoxious young man who rushes into a marriage with Lila, Jeannie Berlin, whose neediness begins to grate on him while on their honeymoon. It's on their honeymoon that he meets Kelly, Cybill Shepard, a woman he instantly desires. Lenny spends the rest of the honeymoon trying to figure out a way to get out of his marriage and into Kelly's arms.

Directed by the legendary Elaine May, The Heartbreak Kid is a a great movie, even though it's a hard one to like sometimes. I say that because the protagonist is so insufferable. Grodin is great in the role, but as a viewer I really wanted to see him fail. Berlin, May's daughter in real life, is the real standout. Even though she can be irritating, you kind of feel for her. Shepard doesn't have much to do other than look pretty.

The screenplay by Neil Simon was adapted from a novel by Bruce Jay Friedman. It's a pretty astute observation about what jerks men can be. Simon would later adapt Friedman's novel The Lonely Guy, which also starred Grodin.

The film reminds me a lot of The Graduate and 10. It would actually fit nicely between the two of those. Not as great as The Graduate, but still an entertaining look at a man who is thinking with the wrong head.

Oddly enough, it's out of print on dvd.